Method of imprinting to correct for a distortion within an imprint system

Abstract

A method can include placing a substrate over a chucking region, wherein the substrate has a primary surface; quantifying a distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof; and dispensing a formable material based at least in part on the distortion. The distortion can include a deviation in planarity, a magnification or orthogonality error or the like. In another aspect, an imprint apparatus can include a substrate holder including a chucking region; a template having an imprint surface that includes protrusions, wherein the protrusions define a primary surface; and a processor configured to determine an amount of a formable material to dispense in a particular area based at least in part on an distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 providing an imprint lithographic template having an imprint surface that includes at least one protrusion, wherein the at least one protrusion defines a primary surface; 
 providing a substrate holder including a chucking region having a substrate support surface; 
 placing a substrate over the chucking region, wherein the substrate has a primary surface within an imprint region; 
 quantifying a distortion in the substrate, a deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the lithographic template, a deviation in planarity along a surface of a component within the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof, wherein quantifying the distortion comprises determining a deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the substrate support surface of the chucking region within the imprint region, the primary surface of the substrate within the imprint region, or any combination thereof; and 
 dispensing a formable material over the primary surface of the substrate based at least in part on the distortion in the substrate, the deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the lithographic template, a deviation in planarity along the surface of the component within the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof, wherein dispensing the formable material is performed such that the formable material is dispensed to:
 a first areal density within a first area, where the deviation indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be further apart when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the first area; and 
 a second areal density within a second area, where the deviation indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be closer to each other when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the second area, wherein the first areal density is greater than the second areal density. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein quantifying the distortion or the deviation comprises analyzing a magnification or orthogonality error in the imprint lithographic template or the substrate. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first area corresponds to a first protrusion of the imprint lithographic template, and the second area corresponds to a second protrusion of the imprint lithographic template spaced apart from the first protrusion. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second areas correspond to different, spaced-apart areas of a same protrusion. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising determining a dispense pattern for the formable material based at least in part on the deviation, wherein dispensing the formable material is performed using the dispense pattern. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein a third area corresponds to at least one recession within the imprint lithographic template. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein determining the dispense pattern is performed such that the formable material is dispensed to a third areal density within the third area, wherein the third areal density is greater than each of the first and second areal densities. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein determining the dispense pattern is based in part on the deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the imprint lithographic template, the substrate within the imprint region, or both within the third area. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising exposing the formable material to ultraviolet radiation to polymerize the formable material and form a polymer layer, wherein the polymer layer has a first thickness within the first area and a second thickness within the second area, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the first thickness is at least 5%, at least 11%, or at least 20% thicker than the second thickness, and is at most 200%, at most 150%, or at most 95% thicker than the second thickness. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising separating the template from the polymer layer. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 forming an etch-resistant layer within a recession in the polymer layer; 
 removing a portion of the etch-resistant layer that overlies a protrusion in the polymer layer; and 
 removing the protrusion in the polymer layer. 
 
     
     
       13. A method forming an article comprising:
 providing an imprint apparatus comprising:
 a substrate holder including a chucking region having a substrate support surface for a substrate; 
 a template holder for an imprint lithographic template having an imprint surface that includes at least one protrusion; and 
 a processor configured to dispense an amount of a formable material in a particular area based at least in part on a distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the substrate holder, or any combination thereof; 
 
 placing a substrate of the article over the chucking region, wherein the substrate has a primary surface within an imprint region; 
 quantifying a distortion in the substrate, a deviation in planarity along the primary surface of lithographic template, a deviation in planarity along a surface of a component within the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof, wherein quantifying the distortion comprises determining a deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the substrate support surface of the chucking region within the imprint region, the primary surface of the substrate within the imprint region, or any combination thereof; and 
 dispensing a formable material over the primary surface of the substrate based at least in part on the distortion in the substrate, the deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the lithographic template, a deviation in planarity along the surface of the component within the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof, wherein dispensing the formable material is performed such that the formable material is dispensed to:
 a first areal density within a first area, where the deviation indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be further apart when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the first area; and 
 a second areal density within a second area, where the deviation indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be closer to each other when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the second area, wherein the first areal density is greater than the second areal density. 
 
 
     
     
       14. A method comprising:
 providing an imprint lithographic template having an imprint surface that includes at least one protrusion, wherein the at least one protrusion defines a primary surface; 
 providing a substrate holder including a chucking region having a substrate support surface; 
 placing a substrate over the chucking region, wherein the substrate has a primary surface within an imprint region; 
 quantifying a distortion in the substrate, the lithographic template, the imprint apparatus, or any combination thereof; and 
 dispensing a formable material over the primary surface of the substrate based at least in part on the distortion, wherein dispensing the formable material is performed such that the formable material is dispensed to:
 a first areal density within a first area, where the distortion indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be further apart when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the first area; and 
 a second areal density within a second area, where the distortion indicates that the at least one protrusion and the primary surface will be closer to each other when the imprint lithographic template contacts the formable material within the second area, wherein the first areal density is greater than the second areal density. 
 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising determining a dispense pattern for the formable material based at least in part on the distortion, wherein dispensing the formable material is performed using the dispense pattern. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein:
 a third area corresponds to at least one recession within the imprint lithographic template; 
 determining the dispense pattern is based in part on a deviation in planarity along the primary surface of the imprint lithographic template, the substrate within the imprint region, or both within the third area; and 
 determining the dispense pattern is performed such that the formable material is dispensed to a third areal density within the third area, wherein the third areal density is greater than each of the first and second areal densities. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising exposing the formable material to ultraviolet radiation to polymerize the formable material and form a polymer layer, wherein the polymer layer has a first thickness within the first area and a second thickness within the second area, and the first thickness is greater than the second thickness. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , wherein the first thickness is at least 5%, at least 11%, or at least 20% thicker than the second thickness, and is at most 200%, at most 150%, or at most 95% thicker than the second thickness.